Best Dehydrator Uses

[GB]

I am getting my first dehydrator (Excalibur 9 tray unit) which should be delivered any day. What are some of the things you dehydrate that might not be obvious. I just read about tomato leather. You make a tomato puree with seasonings and spices and then dry that out like a fruit rollup. That sounded really tasty to me.

[Andy M.]

I wonder if you can make leathers out of veggies such as roasted sweet potato or butternut squash.

I understand it's relatively simple to dehydrate water.

[GB]

Hey I had to study hard to pass my test on how to dehydrate.

[Selkie]

How about flowers for making potpourri?

You want to place the flowers in a single layer, petals not touching each other and normally set on low.

It’s best to dehydrate the flowers by themselves so they don’t absorb the odors from other food items in the dehydrator (and vice versa). For making potpourri with your dried flowers, you might include some slices of citrus fruit peel or apple slices on the trays to include in the mix.

How about making croutons?

Cubed bread sprinkled with a little Italian seasoning, dehydrated and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator keeps for a long time.

Dry fish before sealing and freezing.

You may even want to think about a vacuum sealer to go with long term dehydrated frozen food storage.

[GB]

Thanks Selkie. I do have a vacuum sealer so I am sure I will use that a lot in conjunction with the dehydrator.

Great ideas. Keep em coming!

I know I plan on making beef jerky as well as lots of fruits and veggies. I have thoughts of drying stuff like broccoli and turning it into a powder and using that to season other veggies. Like maybe mix some of the veggie powder with some salt and dust squash coins before I dry them. I will then have seasoned chips that are seasoned with other veggies.

[n2cookin]

You can grind dehydrated items into powders that reconstitute easily to what ever serving size you want. I save orange peels in the freezer until I have several to dehydrate. Or if I am dehydrating oranges I peel them before slicing. Ground orange or lemon peels can be used in teas, or as seasonings in cooking.

My husband likes dehydrated dill pickles for a snack. They are too salty and sour for me though.

If it has moisture you can dehydrate or dry it out. Let your imagination run wild.

[GB]

Originally Posted by n2cookin

My husband likes dehydrated dill pickles for a snack. They are too salty and sour for me though.

That is an awesome idea. It will be among the first things I try. Thanks.

[n2cookin]

If you have a vacuum sealer and the mason jar lid attachment then you can store your dehydrated items in mason jars with the air removed from the jar. Most dehydrated items will either crush under the vacuum in a bag or if it has sharp dried edges can puncture the plastic bags when vacuum sealed. I have a pictures posted of my collection.

[Selkie]

My mother recently gave me a bag of diced dehydrated bell pepper she had purchased. I used it to make a dried, instant soup mix.

[GB]

I do have the mason jar attachment so that is exactly what I plan on doing. I love your collection. I can not wait to have one just like it.